Improvement in gun-carriages



position for firin UNITE STATES are 7 'r rrIoE.

LEWIS W. BROADWELL,0F HIE'l-ZING, NEAR VIENNA, AUSTRIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN GUN-CARRIAGES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 74,770, dated March 14, 1876; application filed February 21, 1576.

To all whom it may concern:

Belt known that I, LEWIS WELLS BROAD- WELL, a citizen of the United States, now residing at Hietzing, near Vienna, Austria, have n gun-carriage constructed according to my. invention, and Fig. 2 is a top view of the same.

My invention consists in arranging thcl'ront ortion of'the carriage-bean'i to slide upon the axle, and providing means for oscillating said beam, and thereby training the gun.

lhe rear end of the trail or carriage beam 3 is provided with an anchoring device, consisting of a pointed projection or spur, O, attached directly to the stock, or formed on a plate, 0, attached to said'stock. The front portion of the projection O is curved orrounded, both downward and laterally. The rear side may be flat or. concave, preferablythe latter, and both sides are inclined downward and rear-ward, so as to form a broad sharp-edged hook, the-angle of inclination being about as shown in Fig. 1. This peculiar shape and arrangement of the hook or spur 0 enables it to cut its way into the ground when the trail is dropped, and by raising the trail and dropping it again a'few times the hook orspur becomes firmly embedded in the seat thus formed,and the gun is securely anchored in Owing to the shape of the spur and the inclination thereof with relation in the carriage-beam, the recoil-power has a tendency to fix it still more firmly-in its seat in the ground every time the gun is fired.

-The training mechanism is constructed and arranged as follows:, The rear side of the axle-1) is curved in the form of an arc of a circle drawn from the anchoring device 0, and is provided with a rack, E. Into this rack meshesa gear-wheel, F, driven by a worm, Gr, provided with a hand-wheel or knob, g, for turning it. 1 The wheel F and worm 1 have their bearings between or under the checks of the carriage-beam, the front portion of which is arrangedto slide on the axle, being provided with keepers and guides to hold it in place and insure its accurate working.

By means of-this mechanism the gun is trained in either direction with exact niccty without moving the wheels orthe anchored rear endcf the carriage-beam, the anchor 0 serving as a pivot, and turning inits seatjust enough to allow the beam to oscillate to the desiredextent, but not sufficient to loosen it;

in said seat. The gun is mounted on the carriage-beam in the usual or any suitable manner, so that as thebeam is oscillated as described, the gun is carried with it and trained in the desired direction, and the parallel position of the gun and beam with each other is constantly preserved,

By means of this invention an advantage is secured which is of great importance where a gun is fired-rapidly,'for the reason that when theproper direction has once been obtained it maybe preserved intact as long as may be found necessary, and when. it is desired the position may be readily changed with speed and accuracy. I

. What I docla-im as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-' A gun-carriage having its beam arranged-to slide on the axle, and provided with mechanism for oscillating said beam, and. thereby training the gun, substantially as herein described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LEWIS W. BROADVVELL.

Witnesses:

PHILIP SIDNEY Fosr. WILLIAM HEINING. 

